Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Polly want a gunshot wound?

From a single pair of mitered conures (Aratinga mitrata) released on the Hawaiian island of Maui in the 1980s has come 200 offspring threatening crops and forest land. Now, according to this article from News 8 NBC Hawaii, officials are looking into a surveying and control plan, with the intent of removing the parrots from the area. They say they are considering shooting them or netting them, but it's not clear what they would do with 200 netted parrots besides euthanize them. Those interested in this topic may also want to check out the home page of the Maui Invasive Species Committee.